Swabs having an absorbent covering on the tip and an elongated stem are well known. Cotton is generally used as the absorbent cellulose tip material, although other fibrous absorbent cellulose materials such as rayon are known. Stem materials such as wood, rolled paper, and plastic are common. Conventional swabs are typically constructed by applying the absorbent covering directly to the distal ends of the stem. An adhesive may be used to more firmly hold the absorbent covering in place upon the swab.
The problems associated with prior art swabs are well known. Warnings on swab packages attest to the fact that serious damage can result from their misuse. Not only must adults be educated in the proper use of these swabs, but children typically should not be allowed to use them without proper supervision. A popular brand of cotton swab attest to the inherent safety deficiencies associated with prior art swabs by including the following package warning:
EAR CARE: CAUTION when using on ears. To help insure safe use hold the swab about 1/2" from the tip. Use gently to remove visible dirt and wax around the outer surface of the ear. Avoid probing deeply into the ear canal. Doing so may push wax/dirt deeper into the ear canal and obstruct hearing. Do not use inside the ear canal of children. Should problems occur, consult your physician. Use only as directed . . . improper use can cause injury. SAFETY TIP: Keep all baby care products out of the reach of children.
Another popular brand advises:
THE CAREFUL WAY TO CLEAN EARS: Hold swab firmly and use a soft touch. Stroke swab gently around the outer surfaces of the ear, without entering the ear canal.
Although these disclaimers have proven useful in alerting adult consumers to the hazards of the improper use of swabs and limiting the potential liability of swab manufacturers, potential damage to the eardrum remains inherent in the use of prior art swabs.
It is quite apparent that the entry of a swab into the human ear canal is very dangerous. The ear drum is extremely delicate. Injuries due to improper use of prior art swabs are common.
An additional problem commonly associated with prior art swabs is a tendency of the stem of the swab to protrude through the absorbent covering during use and thereby injure delicate body tissue.
Prior art patents have generally addressed the problem of adhering the absorbent covering to the stem and paid comparatively little attention to the problems of potential injury. Adhering the absorbent covering to the stem has been accomplished by a variety of methods. Typically such prior art methods developed to adhere the absorbent covering to the stem have generally exaggerated the potential of causing injury to the ear. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,842,790 issued to Castelli employs the use of barbs to better secure the absorbent covering to the stem and U.S. Pat. No. 2,362,704 issued to McGivern employs a projection on the end of a metal stem to secure the absorbent covering. Both the barbs and the projection represent potential sources of injury to a user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,889 issued to Blasius, Jr. et al. discloses the use of a resilient cushion positioned between the end of the stem and the absorbent covering. This resilient cushion is intended to provide some degree of protection against injury in the event that the stem does protrude through the absorbent covering. However, the stem of this prior art device can still protrude through its absorbent covering, leaving only the thin resilient cushion to protect delicate body tissue from injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,549 discloses a T-shaped projection to secure a culture medium to a stem. While the swab of this prior art patent is not intended to clean body tissue, it does come into intimate contact with such tissue during diagnostic culture use. The T-shaped projection near its distal end is used to secure a culture medium to the stem, which projection could protrude through the culture medium and cause damage to delicate body tissue.
As such, although the prior art has recognized to a limited extent the problem of potential injury caused by the stem of the swab protruding through the absorbent covering during use, the proposed solutions to date have been ineffective in providing a satisfactory remedy. Further, the problem of potential damage to the ear drum caused by entrance of the swab into the ear canal, although long being recognized, has heretofor never been addressed.
As such, there exists a substantial need in the art for an improve swab which eliminates damage to the ear canal as well as reduces the possibility of damaging soft tissue during prolonged use.